Have you ever felt stressed or uncomfortable because you were holding two contradictory beliefs at the same time? That uncomfortable feeling is called cognitive dissonance. While it's normal to experience cognitive dissonance occasionally, new research suggests that chronic, sustained cognitive dissonance could have serious implications for your brain health.
What is Cognitive Dissonance? Cognitive dissonance refers to the mental stress that results from holding conflicting beliefs, values, or behaviors. For example, believing that smoking is unhealthy but continuing to smoke anyway. This conflict creates psychological discomfort that we naturally try to resolve.
The Impacts of Chronic Dissonance While short-term cognitive dissonance is not harmful, chronic, unresolved dissonance can take a serious toll. It activates the body's stress response system, leading to increased inflammation throughout the body – including the brain. Neuroinflammation has been linked to impaired cognitive abilities, disrupted neural communication, and may even increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Could EMFs Amplify the Risk? Emerging research also indicates that long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from cell phones, wifi routers, smart meters and power lines could compound the negative impacts of cognitive dissonance. EMFs have been associated with oxidative stress, disruption of brain cell functions, interference with the brain's electrical activity, and melatonin disruption affecting sleep cycles. Some researchers propose EMFs could contribute to gut dysbiosis and a "leaky gut", allowing neurotoxic substances to reach the brain.
The Perfect Storm for Alzheimer's? The combination of chronic cognitive dissonance and EMF exposure creates a potential perfect storm that may significantly raise the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Both factors contribute to neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, disrupted neural communication, altered brain waves, and impaired cognitive function – all of which are hallmarks of Alzheimer's pathology.
While more research is still needed, reducing cognitive dissonance and limiting EMF exposure could be an important strategy for preserving brain health and mitigating Alzheimer's risk as you age.
Steps to Reduce the Risks
Practice mindfulness to increase self-awareness of contradictory thoughts/behaviors
Align your values and behaviors to resolve cognitive dissonance
Limit cell phone/laptop/WiFi use and keep EMF sources at a distance
Implement EMF shielding and "digital hygiene" practices like device-free sleeping areas
Promote an anti-inflammatory lifestyle (diet, exercise, stress management)
Stay mentally and socially active to preserve cognitive reserve
Maintaining brain health is a lifelong endeavor. Being mindful of psychological factors like chronic cognitive dissonance, along with environmental influences like EMFs, could pay significant dividends for reducing your risk of Alzheimer's and dementia.
EMF does pose a significant risk to human health, Bacteri GN, and mold growth >600fold creating imbalance. over 32,000 peer-reviewed papers have shown that ethically funded research concludes EMF is harmful, in contrast to non-ethically funded research and lack thereof as evidence. It would be reasonable if people adhered to the time limits, but no one does, and people surpass the limits hundreds of times a day. For example, using a keyboard more than 40 mins, a controller for more than 30 mins, a phone for more than 15 mins near the ear, 40 mins within 6 inches from the head, 2 hrs hands-free over 1 meter from you using a phone or Bluetooth while walking on a footpath. By using RF radiation, near and electric fields, this drastically reduces the time leading to multiple exposures hundreds of times over daily use limits including affecting others in the process.
Therefore if you continue to deny that this is statistically correct you may be causing your brain to be inflamed.
Interesting thoughts, thank you. In my life there is a continuing theme of pole opposite considerations. I have observed my particular themes are common to the majority. In end I have chosen the third position or a Zen position and see the conflict as a subject of the human condition that we cannot resolve, anyway. As for EMF pollution and the effects, the only way until we know better is to control our exposure like your suggestions.
I like how you include cognitive dissonance as a factor in the downgrading of our mental functions.
Our thoughts do have power. But I never really thought about the detriment of holding two conflicting beliefs for most of one's life. Like trying to drive with one's feet down on both the gas and brake.
Thank you.